The Noise
by jen0va99
Summary: In the Sleeping Forest, before he awoke... (p.2 of ) [Yaoi, non-con; SephCloud, CloudAeris]
1. Part One

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Disclaimer: Ha. I wish. Square/Squeenix ♥  
**Rating**: PG-13 (this chapter, anyway…); Yaoi (eventually), angst and more angst, CrazyRoth, game dialogue… very much anti-AeriSeph.  
**Pairing**: Minor Cloud+Aeris; Sephiroth/Cloud ♥ Wouldn't have it any other way.  
**Part**: 1 of 2 (3?)  
**Notes**: Eh… I just felt like expanding on this part of the game, since it would be so easy… I mean, like… Seph comes in and then BOOM, fade to black. WTF? You _know_ it didn't just end like _that_. …well, at least not in _my_ head… so… yes. _; Besides, Barret said Cloud looked like he was having a nightmare, and Seph just _being_ there doesn't constitute a nightmare to _me_. Ahem. Anyway.

BTW: Half of this chapter is the Cloud and Aeris part of the dream, so… bear with it. And oh yeah - _I_ _already know _Cloud isn't a clone, so don't, y'know, bother to try and correct me. O_o  


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There was green in his vision, _nothing_ but green, accompanied by that usual disorienting feeling one endured when waking from a long sleep… but Cloud couldn't tell if he was even waking at all. Everything was too misty, too _green_ for him to be in the real world.

He didn't know how he could have gotten there, anyway, if he truly was awake. He doubted they would have carried him to this mysterious place and left him alone, besides. Last he remembered, they were outside the Temple of the Ancients… where he acted terribly, he knew, but that wasn't _him_…

Quickly he pushed that memory aside and blinked. He felt as if he was floating; he already knew his feet definitely weren't on the ground, or if there even if there _was_ a ground to step upon… he was in the Lifestream, maybe?

Gradually his vision sharpened and the fog lifted, and slowly shapes appeared; thick, tall trunks with lush leaves, everything around him serene, quiet. The place—_wherever_ it was…—smelled of fresh greenery and dew… some sort of forest, he decided.

He spotted a shock of something in a very familiar shade of brown as it poked out from behind a tree, timidly. "Cloud, can you hear me?" 

The soothing voice was like music to his ears, and the mere fact that she was even _talking_ to him after what he did was a miracle in itself… "Yeah, I hear you."

Cloud paused, carefully blinking his eyes. In this place—a dream, he definitely knew he had to be dreaming this forest—he felt completely calm, albeit somewhat disoriented; sort of like he was on the outside looking in. It was strange to look at it that way, as if not really being there at all, more of a spectator than anything… still, he _was_ there, and Aeris was actually _talking_ to him…

But he pushed that thought aside quickly, disorientated or not. It was time for him to make amends—or at the very least, try. "Sorry for what happened…"

Slowly, Aeris wandered out from her hiding place and shrugged a little, smiling slightly. "Don't worry about it," she said, her gaze off to one side, refusing to look at him just then. Cloud didn't blame her in the least for averting her eyes… he wouldn't want to look at him, either, after that…

"…I can't help it…," the blonde mumbled, regretfully.

The girl made a face, sad and thoughtful, before stepping behind the tree once more. "Oh…" She went silent then and Cloud worried she had left him in that unfamiliar place, vulnerable and alone. "Then," Aeris said finally, popping out from the opposite end of Cloud's field of vision, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief, "why don't you _really_ worry about it?"

He was bewildered for a moment as Aeris ran closer to him, childishly, before stopping. One petite hand went to her eye and she smiled towards him, _truly_ acknowledging his presence since the dream began. "And let me handle Sephiroth."

Cloud wanted to snort at the ridiculous request. At bare inches over five feet with less muscle mass than Cloud had even at thirteen-years old, Aeris wanted to take _Sephiroth_ on all by _herself_? True, the flower girl had generous amounts of magical ability within her small body, but the idea of her being able to defeat the former General was, frankly, more insane than the silver-haired man himself.

As if she meant it as a joke—which Cloud sincerely hoped she did,—Aeris started giggling, mouth covered by her hand, and the blonde watched with fascination as her entire being burned a bright white, filling the forest with a soft, ethereal glow.

The blonde squinted, or some equivalent of that, and when his eyes focused again Aeris was just… _gone_.

"And Cloud," the Cetra started, walking out from behind yet another tree in the forest, "you take care of yourself." Aeris' voice was stern, but with a comforting, motherly undertone. She turned again before Cloud could respond, walking slowly to her starting point.

As an afterthought occurred, Aeris paused and leaned back, addressing Cloud once again with a smile. "So you don't have a breakdown, okay?"

Cloud wanted to laugh at the explanation. It was so like her…

Bare moments after walking behind the tree, Cloud spotted the girl fall slowly from the forest canopy and land soundlessly onto the ground below. He would have taken the time to marvel at the display, but a sense of vertigo hit, causing his vision to shift and swirl. Cloud could feel himself falling, slowly, before gently making contact with the dirt path.

Aeris smiled warmly at him as he looked around, eyeing the forest curiously from his new viewpoint. White beams of gentle sunlight broke through the thick vegetation above, calming the atmosphere even further. The forest was so… _beautiful_.

"What is this place?"

Normally he wouldn't have asked, but it definitely wasn't a place his own mind could have cooked up; his own dreams were more often than not nightmares, all plagued with thoughts of _him _and those… _clones_… Cloud _never_ dreamt of something lovely as this place before…

The girl chuckled quietly, hands clasped loosely behind her back. "This forest leads to the City of the Ancients…," Aeris started, looking up appreciatively towards the forest ceiling, "and is called 'Sleeping Forest'."

Which meant he was dreaming of an actual location, but one he never heard of before…? It was all Aeris' doing, then…? It was strange to think of it like that; of the possibility that the Cetra could do something so invasive and personal as manipulating his dreams, just as Sephiroth could… but with her it was different. He actually _welcomed _it, immensely calmed by the fact that someone was still able to reach him, even at his worst.

Cloud could _feel_ Aeris tense as her gaze lowered onto him. The blonde looked over and frowned. From the look in her eyes, Cloud had a good idea what she was going to say next… but he didn't want to hear it. It had been so long since he had a nice dream, so serene and without worries; most of all, one without _him_…

"It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor," Aeris murmured, fixing her deep green eyes onto his clear blue, "that's why I'm going to protect it." Aeris gestured outwards, pointing far into the Sleeping Forest, and smiled lightly at him. "Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it."

The blonde stood mutely with his head bowed low, staring blankly at the palms of his hands, and mulled over the things Aeris had said. He didn't want to believe that she had to do things on her own… it didn't seem right—or even remotely _fair_—for the responsibility to be hers alone, simply because of her heritage. It was ludicrous to think that she could possibly be the _only_ one to save it… he was there too, wasn't he?

"The secret is just up here. At least it should be… I feel it."

Cloud looked up to find the flower girl quite a distance away, looking back at him as she pensively chewed her lower lip, worried over his silence. She gave her head a quick shake and sighed, fully aware she had to give him some sort of explanation. After a short moment she shook her head once more, rolling her hand on her wrist, unable to truly describe what she wanted to. "…it feels like I'm being _led_ by something."

__

I know, he had the urge to say, _I feel that way all the time_.

Smiling lightly, Aeris cocked her head to the side and waved, afterwards using that same hand to push the hair out of her eyes. "Then, I'll be going now." Her smile grew stronger as she reassured, "I'll come back when it's all over."

Cloud's stomach sank at the girl's words. He had a sickening feeling that she was terribly wrong… he wanted to explain his worry to her, tell her not to go, at least _not_ by herself, just to wait long enough for him to find her in the real world so they could go _together_… didn't she know that her excursion was extremely dangerous? Or… that there was a great possibility she would _never_ come back…?

"Aeris?"

Cloud knew… that feeling of dread he harbored _had_ to be justified. He _knew_ Sephiroth and the mission he had in mind; he _knew_ that Sephiroth wasn't going to allow her to go through with her plans. In the back of his mind, Cloud wondered if Sephiroth would even let Aeris live long enough to _try_.

Giving the blonde one final wave before turning, Aeris began to jog deep into the forest, her long brown braid trailing behind her. But for whatever reason, Cloud couldn't move as he watched her go, only stood there, frozen and dumb as she retreated…

Only when the girl was a small dot of pink on the horizon did Cloud finally will his quivering legs to move. He ran after her far too slowly, as if his body was attempting to force itself through a Shield spell while simultaneously afflicted with Slow… but he still tried, pushing himself to move, just to _go_ and _stop_ her.

…but before long he stopped, begrudgingly aware that reaching her was a lost cause. He assessed his progress and found he had barely moved inches from his spot before… and where Aeris was, it was useless to try and catch her if he continued so slowly…

Cloud bit back a curse as he frowned, looking futilely around the Sleeping Forest. The thought occurred to him that despite the fact that Aeris was gone from the dream, he still hadn't woken up…

The blonde closed his eyes tightly, body tensing as an all-too-familiar chuckle drifted into his ears. Of course… of _course_ that would explain it…

"Hmm…"

No, his mind screamed at him, _don't stay, get out, wake **up**!_ He shut his eyes tight and told himself, repeatedly, to wake up. He _had_ to… and even if Cloud didn't see _him_ just then, that didn't change the fact that he was still _there_, waiting…

"…she's thinking of interfering?" the voice asked after a long pause, quietly amused at the idea. "She will be a difficult one, don't you think?" Sarcastic… _always_ sarcastic, cocky, _arrogant_… not that he didn't have reason to be, even after all the time that passed… he was still the 'Great Sephiroth'.

A soft thud echoed on the ground behind him and Cloud didn't dare turn around. Why bother when he knew what he would find…? Nothing but this nightmare, _always_, taunting him, forcing him to do things he didn't want to do, act how he didn't want to act… why wouldn't that madman just leave him _alone_?

"We must stop that girl soon."

"…stay _away_ from her…," Cloud managed, grounding the words out through tightly clenched teeth. The creak of leather-clad legs straightening sounded, the swish of the long coat telling Cloud that the other man was drawing near, and his jaw tightened even more, anxiously.

Sephiroth chuckled as he circled his prey, leisurely, glowing aqua eyes taking in the younger man inch by inch. "'Stay away'?" he laughed, stopping behind the blonde. "No, Cloud, I'm afraid she has made it impossible for me to do so."

Cloud shuddered, cursing the close proximity of the man at his back. He body felt numb and unable to move, unable to attack or even _speak_ just then—surely, just as Sephiroth wanted. It was uncomfortable enough for him to simply be near the older man, but now more than ever.

His former idol's aura exuded an air of superiority and unimaginable power, all of which attacked Cloud's senses, dulling his will and causing him to tremble. It made him feel powerless and weak in Sephiroth's presence; definitely not the way he wanted to feel in front of the man he was going to one day utterly destroy, or die trying.

"You see… that girl is a nuisance." The older man stepped in front of him as he drew the Masamune from its scabbard, carefully eyeing the light reflecting off the shining blade as he went on with his tirade. "She distracts you," Sephiroth announced, slashing his blade through the air with an audible 'whoosh', "just like that other filth you degrade yourself with."

Sephiroth took a step forward in an almost calculated way and stood close to the blonde, pressing the sharp blade against the skin of Cloud's neck, nicking him as he grabbed Cloud's shirt with his left hand before he could back away. A line of red pricked from under the sword but nothing more than that, the cut a bare abrasion which Cloud's enhanced system would heal within minutes.

"And to me, that _Cetra_ is a wrench in my plan."

Sephiroth applied a light pressure to the Masamune, slowly pushing the blade into the soft flesh of Cloud's throat. He smirked triumphantly upon hearing the blonde's suppressed groan and pulled the blade away, satisfied with the meager amount of blood it drew. With a sickening fascination he watched as the thin stream of red trickled down a short path and into Cloud's blue collar, staining the garment to a near-black.

"Therefore, she leaves me with only one true option." Releasing the hold on Cloud's shirt, Sephiroth absently traced the mark on the blonde's neck with one finger, smearing drops of crimson blood on his gloved fingertip. "That being: remove the obstacle. Surely you don't expect me to do so by staying away, now, do you?"

Cloud scowled defiantly, clenching and unclenching his fists, barely noticing the sting of broken flesh high on his neck, doing his best to ignore the fact that the man was touching him, focusing his attention solely on the words Sephiroth spoke and the mocking, arrogant tone behind them.

"Though, if you _truly_ insist I keep my distance…" Sephiroth reached up and condescendingly tapped the pad of his bloodstained finger on the blonde's lip, "you could take care of that girl yourself."

Unconsciously Cloud flicked his tongue out to taste the substance, finding it to be coppery and sharp, with a tint of Mako just underneath. It burned and numbed his lip, and the remainder tingled uncomfortably like an itch just waiting to be scratched… though it wasn't _so_ bad. For some reason, he half-expected it to burn a whole lot worse, but for the life of him couldn't make out the reason why.

"After all," Sephiroth continued, "that girl is a mere weakling of her race, so far removed she is unworthy even to be _Hojo's_ specimen. She has _nothing_ compared to the power Mother and I have…" Sephiroth cut himself off and looked down at Cloud with hardened feline eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. "Even you yourself are more."

The smirk died quicker than it came as the older man implored, "yet that's the path you believe you've chosen?"

Cloud slowly mulled over the things being said with distaste and no small sense of confusion. He was more…? Path he _believed_ he chose? Whatever path Sephiroth was referring to, didn't he actually _choose_ it? True, there were times when his will to stay on the 'right' side faltered and Sephiroth would win… but Cloud _wanted_ to fight. He wanted—_needed_—to have revenge on the man who razed his hometown, killed so many with that disgusting ease…

"She is _nothing_, Cloud," Sephiroth reiterated, harsher this time, breaking the blonde from his musing. He could barely hold back the urge to shake the smaller man as he spoke, if only just to keep his attention.

A scowl etched itself deep into Cloud's face. He was angered by the things Sephiroth was implying, all he was actually saying, but most of all he was angered at himself for _letting_ Sephiroth say them. _How_ could he allow Sephiroth to speak so lowly of Aeris…? She was his _friend_… and he…

"Even so… you believe you _care_ for her, don't you?" The older man paused, searching Cloud's blue eyes for an answer. He narrowed his own to fine slits as the mercenary turned away, impudently, refusing to let Sephiroth judge him any longer but unknowingly giving the silver-haired man what he needed.

The taller man turned, nearly snarling as he slashed the Masamune down and back up again in a vain attempt to release himself of the fury which welled up within him. That simple observation meant that Cloud was still partially free from his total control, able to think and act on his own unlike the other clones. _Somehow_ the blonde was more _human_ than the others, one of those vile creatures… perhaps, in that respect, the blonde truly _was_ the failure Hojo deemed him.

If Cloud wasn't so _requisite_ to his plans, Sephiroth probably would have gotten rid of him long ago… the boy was merely a numberless puppet living under the guise of a human. But sadly, of all the clones Hojo produced, Cloud was still the one who followed orders the best, defiance aside, still the only one truly worthy of ascension…

Yet he obviously _didn't_ know his place, and it seemed Cloud didn't realize just _where_ he came from, nor _how_ he came to be… and that simple fact tried Sephiroth's patience more than anything else. Cloud wasn't just serving _him_, but helping _others_ as well, leading that gang of filth in a fight 'against' him. It was sickening to see a part of himself behave in such a manner, to be acted against as if Cloud believed he _hated_ his master…

And it was all because of _her_ that Cloud disobeyed. _She_ was the one trying to break the blonde's strings, to make Cloud believe he was something more than a simple tool… but fortunately for Sephiroth, that _other_ girl, the mountain guide, hadn't yet interrupted. She kept quiet over Cloud's true self, locking that awareness away within herself; _that_ one's perpetual lies benefited Sephiroth more than she knew. Had Sephiroth cared, he probably would have been grateful of her treachery towards a 'person' whom she wanted to consider a childhood friend.

But that _Cetra_…

Sephiroth turned to face the blonde, seething with anger the more he thought about his situation. He was _not_ going to lose his puppet to a lowly being such as _her_. Cloud _belonged_ to him.

The silver-haired man studied the smaller one's face for bare moments before he re-sheathed the Masamune. Without warning he seized the blonde by the collar of his shirt, pulling Cloud close to him to grab his chin tightly with a free hand.

"So you do… hmph. How _terribly_ sweet," Sephiroth said after a long moment, his voice dangerously sarcastic.

If Cloud was more focused, he would have picked up the spite in those words, that anger, that jealousy… instead he grimaced, quickly slapping the black-gloved hand away from his face. "_Don't_ touch me."

The silver-haired man grinned bitterly, mocking him, before taking his chin once more. "I can do as I please with you, you have _no_ say."

"Like _hell_ I don't!" Cloud yelled, latching on to Sephiroth's forearm and pulling the man's hand from his face.

"No, you do _not_," Sephiroth spat, "you owe me _everything_, Cloud, _all_ that you are—your strength, your abilities, body, _life_…" He stared straight into the younger man's eyes, lowering his voice before he went on, curling his hand tighter into the turtleneck of the SOLDIER uniform, "even these clothes upon your back are there because of _me_."

The blonde glared at him as he spoke, teeth bared, feeling _beyond_ frustrated and angry. Everything Sephiroth was saying was saying to him was utterly ridiculous, nothing but blatant lies, completely foolish and crazy even for _him_.

"I don't owe you a goddamn _thing_…"

"Such an _ingrate_ you are," Sephiroth growled, narrowing his eyes to paper-thin slits, "deny it all you like but the fact still remains that Mother and I _both_ have given you _all_ of this," he made a small gesture down Cloud's self, "yet you bite the hand that feeds you. Don't you realize that without _me_ you would be _nothing_?"

Sephiroth leaned close and lowered his voice, hissing quietly into the blonde's pierced ear, "without me, Cloud, you. _Are_. _Nothing_."

"_Bullshit_."

Abruptly he released his grip on Cloud's shirt and shoved the blonde away from him, sending the smaller one to the forest floor. Sephiroth stepped forward, towering over the prone body as he sneered, "well then, you're willing to jeopardize it all for such an inferior race, for such a worthless, _pitiful_ girl? Would you _die_ for that girl, Cloud?"

He lowered his eyes to give Cloud a level stare and smiled maliciously. "…but you _do_ remember what you did to her, don't you?" Sephiroth chuckled in the back of his throat, "it's so easy to manipulate you, yet that was something you did of your own volition. I was so _proud_ of you, _Cloud_."

Cloud fell into a sullen silence, unwilling to believe a word the silver-haired man had said. He _couldn't_ have beaten Aeris of his own free will simply because he was mad at himself… Sephiroth _had_ to have been in control of him then. He was the one who was _protecting_ Aeris, acting as her _bodyguard_. It _couldn't_ have been him who did that…

"Though," Sephiroth said, quietly musing, "it's a pity you stopped; had you not, you would have saved me the trouble of killing her later." He paused, letting out a chuckle as he shook his head. "Of course, it's really no trouble at all to dispose of a _weakling_…"

"…shut_ up_."

It had taken all of his will to do it, but Cloud finally managed to growl out the words he wanted so long to say, shifting his eyes to look down the forest floor, unable to look the taller man in the face as he spoke. His fists laid heavy by his sides, balled and ready for attack, even though he could—_would_—never bring himself to do so; it was as if Sephiroth had some sort of hold over him, binding him from lashing out. Fleetingly, Cloud wondered if that _wasn't_ the case.

"Just… shut _up_, Sephiroth…"

Instead of anger from the blonde's unlikely command, Sephiroth felt a broad smile form on his lips and a jerk low in his chest; he laughed almost maniacally, face obscured by one hand, mocking Cloud where he stood. The small fighter's cheeks burned angrily at the sight but he could do nothing more than watch, just waiting until it was all out of Sephiroth's system…

"Such childish insolence…," Sephiroth uttered upon sobering. He slowly raised his eyebrow at the blonde and sighed disdainfully, "Mother was right about you… but no matter…"

Catching Cloud's gaze, Sephiroth smiled in an almost playful way and murmured, "…I suppose it can't be helped until that Cetra _dies_."

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A/N: *coughs* God, I started writing this on my birthday (Feb. 18th) and I JUST finished this part? Geez. O_o;; I fear how long it's going to take to write the next…

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Yes, I write a submissive Cloud. So sue me XD


	2. Part Two

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Disclaimer: The usual.  
**Rating**: R; Yaoi, angst, CrazyRoth (WTF _GO AWAY YOU **FREAK**_), blood… I still say it's anti-AeriSeph, Ardwynna! ::shakes fist:: XD  
**Pairing**: Seph/Cloud, and it ain't changin'. Because this is my pairing goddammit.  
**Notes**: Cloud grew a bit of a backbone. Oops. That better not last… ::eye twitch::

…and this chapter makes me feel like such a huge FFVII dork… which I am, but this really cements it… -.-;

And stupid Jenova-injected bastards. ::beats every single one of them::

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Cloud looked off to the side and shrugged. After all, what was the point in even thinking of reasoning with a madman? What would the use be to yell at him to stop, not to harm Aeris? Anything he could have said would have gone straight into one ear and out the other, anyway… or maybe, if he was lucky, Sephiroth would regard his words for bare moments before mocking him again, retorting with another threat…

But Cloud could tell one thing: his silence over the threats to Aeris' well-being seemed to be bothering Sephiroth quite a bit, and the blonde intended to keep it that way. The way Cloud figured it, if he was lucky, Sephiroth would soon tire of his inaction—especially if he was answered by nothing other than a simple shrug or glare, though Cloud knew quiescence would work better than anything—and allow his conscious self to wake.

After all, they were in a dream-world, weren't they? Sephiroth couldn't _really_ harm him in the Sleeping Forest… true, Cloud could still feel pain in the place as well as be wounded, and heal, but none of it would effect the 'real' him, he was sure of it. And, if his actual body wouldn't be harmed, that meant he was free to act upon reckless impulses in the dream, if need be… then he could go find Aeris, and hopefully quicker than Sephiroth…

But even to him, it was doubtful. Cloud knew that he could never reach Aeris before the Masamune…

He sensed Sephiroth's eyes on him and shuddered involuntarily; it felt as if the other man's gaze was invading his privacy, looking beyond the surface and straight through him as if he were nothing but a plate of glass. Cloud could feelSephiroth in his mind, prodding, searching his head for something, but whatever that was…

"…so, you're attempting to mislead me? Feigning this nonchalance so I'll let you go?" The older man chuckled cruelly. "Did you honestly think you could do such a thing?"

Cloud smartly held his tongue, biting his lower lip to make sure he said nothing. It wasn't fair that Sephiroth could read him so easily… the silver-haired man knew all of his plans in advance, had the ability to pick Cloud's brain for whatever he wanted. And to make it worse, the mercenary could _feel_ that mental probing, because Sephiroth wanted him to know he was there. He hated it, that failure to have anything kept to himself, and himself alone… it was like…

"…you can never hide from me," Sephiroth stated, looking down at him, substantiating the blonde's very thought, "not even in your own mind."

The confirmation was sickening, to know that he truly had no privacy at _all_ anymore. Sephiroth was forever with him, in his head, knew _everything _about him; his plans, his lies, hopes, failures, secrets… not one aspect about him was safe from Sephiroth's invasive control…

How could he even go on with his quest, knowing that Sephiroth was always two steps ahead of him…?

"You can't." Sephiroth spoke the words with confidence, "you will _never_ win this game, Cloud."

Cloud brought his hand to his face, fist curled, and placed the heel of his hand against his eyes. That… _pain_ was fading in again as Sephiroth spoke… that _Noise_…

"And if you continue to 'oppose' me, you will forever be on the losing side."

"You're wrong… we're going to beat you." The blonde shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as the pain got progressively worse, and continued, "you're the loser here, Sephiroth, not me…"

The older man chuckled again. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, 'that's so'…"

Sephiroth's grin was deadly. "And how do you suppose you can defeat me?"

Cloud couldn't answer. He knew he couldn't do it on his own, at least not now, with Sephiroth's plans to summon Meteor… he—_all_ of them—needed…

"…that _Cetra_." Sephiroth practically cursed the word, scowling at the blonde for even _dare_ bringing her to mind. But that look of distaste gradually changed to one of sickening determination as the older man murmured, "no… no, I wouldn't count on that girl to save you, Cloud… she will do nothing but fail. She is going to die."

"…you know," the blonde started quietly, voice tired and strained, "it's getting less threatening and more funny every time you say that…"

"Oh?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at the curious statement. "And what is it you find so amusing? The fact that I'm going to take that girl's life?" The silver-haired man cocked his head to the side and smirked. "It never occurred to me you could be so cruel," he remarked, mockingly.

"No, it's funny that you're so scared of Aeris…"

Sephiroth chuckled at the blonde's quiet utterance, shaking his head slightly. The idea in itself was preposterous; as if he, a prospective god, a being already superior to every life form on the Planet, could _ever_ be afraid of a frail little thing like that Ancient…

"Cloud…" Sephiroth crossed his arms as he allowed a typical, arrogant expression to grace his lips, "of all my motives to do away with that girl, I assure you fear is certainly not one of them."

The mercenary snorted incredulously as he placed a hand on his forehead, mind growing progressively achier as time went on in Sephiroth's presence. Faint, disembodied voices had started whispering to him in near-silent, wavering tones, yet Cloud couldn't decipher anything that was being said, save one simple utterance:

'…Se…phi…roth…'

"…of course it is…," the blonde started, trying his best to quiet that dull, constant stream of Noise, "you're afraid to lose to her, right? You keep saying… what, that Aeris is a 'powerless nothing'? But you're still insistent upon getting rid of her before she does whatever it is she's planning…" Cloud paused to shrug. "Sounds like fear to me."

"Well now, look who's finally found his voice," Sephiroth began, chidingly, "unfortunately, he has no idea of what he speaks."

"Any way I look at it…," the mercenary finished, rolling his shoulders casually.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. Such a foolish accusation… he _wasn't_ afraid of that… _girl_. She truly _was_ powerless compared to him, and quite possibly even less than the nothing he appraised her as before. That pitiful prayer would not succeed, and Sephiroth was going to see to that; there was _nothing_ about her for him to be afraid of.

"Your ignorance is painful…"

"I think out of the two of us, you're the one who's clueless, Sephiroth…," Cloud muttered, wincing as the voices grew steadily louder.

Sephiroth snarled at the words. Cloud was such a _fool_, to be so blind as to misinterpret his motives in such a way, and to accuse him of that… it was _not_ fear that the girl would prevail which fueled his need to be rid of her. He knew she would fail, he and Jenova were going to see to that… and simply because she was a Cetra did not mean she was invincible.

After all, Jenova destroyed nearly all of those wretched Cetra long before the girl's time. Now all that was left of their race was that girl, and he and Mother together were going to see that Jenova finish what she started… continue with her plan of two-thousand years ago, before _they_ interrupted her task. The Cetra of long ago had succeeded in stopping her, and in the same way that girl was attempting to do now.

Oh, but the Cetra would not do that again. Their only living hope was going to die by Sephiroth's bare hands. He was going to feel the blood of her heritage spill upon his skin and smile as it did, reveling in his and Jenova's victory. And with every last Cetra returned to the Planet and out of the way, with their combined Spirit Energy, _wasted_ on beings like them, absorbed into the Lifestream, Sephiroth was going to absorb that Energy into himself and ascend to his rightful place, taking a seat under complete, eternal godhood.

No… his plan was utterly flawless, and that girl's was not. What could there possibly be for him to fear?

Of course… it wasn't simply the vendetta that Jenova held against the Cetra which fueled his desire to be rid of the girl. Sephiroth himself had his own reasons…

He turned his cold aqua eyes to the blonde still on the forest floor, looking right back at him with hatred and anger in his glowing orbs, impossible at it was for him to even _feel_ emotion…

"Stop fucking _staring_ at me…"

Sephiroth hated the Ancient for dare intruding on his property. Loathed her, the way she managed to mold Cloud into the rebel he had so obviously become, despised her very being for encouraging his puppet to act against him… Cloud was walking a thin line with that newfound insubordination, and the puppet _knew_ it, yet he continued to goad Sephiroth on anyway, angering him even though he realized the potential consequences such actions may bring… and Sephiroth knew it was _all because of her_.

Sephiroth slowly unclenched the fist he absently made and re-curled his fingers, one by one, growing more and more furious by the second with the Cetra for swaying his toy like that…

But, how did it get to be that Cloud was so easily lead astray from his path as a clone and charmed by outer influence? The blonde was the only one unaware of the Reunion… the only one not dying to serve him, the only one not worshipping Sephiroth as was his duty.

Cloud truly _was_ a failure.

And yet, Sephiroth was all too aware that couldn't attain his goal without Cloud's assistance…

"You don't realize how fortunate you are," he said between gritted teeth, resisting the urge to strike the younger man. But as much as he may have wanted to, Sephiroth could never truly consider harming Cloud in such a manner. He was capable of easily destroying the blonde, in actual existence as well as this, but tempting at it may have been, he absolutely had to lock those baser instincts within himself.

If Sephiroth acted upon that impulse, mortally wounding the blonde as he inevitably would have, his own mission would be for naught. And, as the rebellious side of Cloud 'wanted', the blonde would have come out the victor…

Sephiroth simply couldn't chance it.

Funny… it was dreadfully ironic how he came to depend so deeply upon the one clone Hojo had deemed the most worthless. True, the blonde was resistant, but he was also weak-willed, making him so susceptible to manipulation. Terrible, _inept_ scientist that man was… had it been Professor _Gast_ in charge of the cloning process…

Sephiroth cut the thought short. That was his old 'life'; now he had a higher purpose. He didn't have the time nor the need to hold any other foolish grudges or retain pointless regrets. Besides, Hojo would get his comeuppance for being such a stupid fool blinded by his feckless 'scientific' ambition. It did not matter…

Though of course, he agreed that Cloud was a failure in certain respects… but he was a resilient one, the only clone with true potential…

"I've been infinitely more patient in your case than that of the others, Cloud, but even my leniency for you has its limits…" An empty threat, yes, but when it came to Cloud, that was all he could do. But to Sephiroth's advantage, Cloud was still blissfully aware of the fact that he was so indispensable…

"'Patient' with me? 'The _others_'?" Cloud managed a short laugh which only served to anger Sephiroth further, but he didn't _care_ anymore. If inaction wasn't going to wake him, then maybe frustration would… _something_ had to work…

Cloud shook his head, the Noise louder now, grinding into his brain like a pestle to a mortar, but still he went on. "…do you even listen to yourself? You're not making sense… as usual…"

The mercenary made a move to get up when one of Sephiroth's booted feet planted itself in the middle of his chest, pushing him back to the ground. Cloud looked up at the taller man with a growl. He wanted desperately to throw Sephiroth's foot from his chest, but the thought of touching the other man, his enemy… his former idol… the one he had aspired to be…

"…what exactly are you trying to _prove_, Sephiroth?"

The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow, curiously. "Now, what makes you think I have something to 'prove'?"

"Why are you keeping me here?" Cloud shook his head, coming up with the better question, "what do you _want_ from me?"

"Everything…" Sephiroth shrugged. "As for why… perhaps I merely enjoy your company."

Glowing blue eyes narrowed. "You're insane…" Sephiroth looked eerily calm as the words hit his ears, the left corner of his mouth quirking upwards to form a quiet grin.

"Am I?" he asked, leaning forward just slightly, hair falling over his shoulders as the pressure of that foot against Cloud's chest increased. "If that's so, why haven't you put me out of my 'misery'? The opportunity to do just that has arisen more than once, but you've yet to try…"

Cloud couldn't even begin to think of a reasonable excuse. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind when the other man was nearby, not in the real world… but why hadn't he…? When he first saw Sephiroth back from the dead… and again in Nibelheim, the Temple of the Ancients… and he hadn't even drawn his _sword_, only listened to the older man like an obedient puppy… gods, _why_?

"You cannot kill me, Cloud… as you are well aware, you have neither the means nor the will to destroy me," Sephiroth laughed, "and you say you 'hate' me? You know that's a lie."

The mercenary didn't speak a word.

"You're drawn to me, yet you still don't understand the reason… such a simple fool you are."

Sephiroth kneeled next to the blonde, burying one hand into the man's golden spikes before pulling him into a sitting position, locking his gaze with Cloud's own confused one.

"But I can tell you why."

Cloud looked horrified and disgusted as Sephiroth's other hand inched its way over his chest, easily feeling the taut muscles through the rough fabric of his navy blue shirt. An incomplete, numberless clone, misbehaved, yes… but still healthy, full of vigor, and so helpful despite it all…

"Would you like to know?"

The younger man nodded slowly, rendered mute by Sephiroth's wickedly glowing eyes.

"Because I give you a reason to live, Cloud." His hand stopped at the blonde's neck, finger playing lightly above the blonde's Adam's apple, feeling the structure shifting beneath his touch as the younger man swallowed uneasily. "…you exist for me, and only me."

__

'…the Great… Se…phi…roth…'

"Liar…"

Cloud's voice came out quiet and without assertion, foreign even to himself. His head had begun to throb painfully as the Noise surged back again… the fluctuation of voices was enough to drive him insane, all of them praising the silver-haired man, in their broken words, pleading with the blonde to heed… _him_.

"'Liar'?" Sephiroth shook his head. "So you truly believe you will find peace in a world without me?"

He didn't know… if Cloud had his revenge on the man who ruined his life, he would be happy, wouldn't he…? He would feel complete, with Sephiroth gone… maybe… Cloud couldn't quite remember those five years back when he _thought_ Sephiroth was dead, but maybe then… but he couldn't _remember_.

The doubts streamed through his mind faster the more he told himself that he would, but for some reason, he couldn't make himself believe his own opinion…

"Could you, when I am the _only thing _that gives your pitiable life any sort of meaning?" Sephiroth asked, whispering the question into Cloud's ear, gripping tightly the navy blue collar.

"I want you dead, Sephiroth," the mercenary stated quietly, "and after that, I don't care… "

"Oh?" The silver-haired man chuckled, partially amused. "Then tell me why I'm still 'alive'…"

Cloud bit his lip. They went over this before, but he still couldn't think of an answer. And it was growing harder to concentrate the more that Noise enveloped his brain, constricting with an unbearable pressure…

Sephiroth could plainly see that Cloud was in pain, the blonde barely holding himself back from clutching at his hair, and almost crippled by the voices of so many others like him, yet so very different…

__

'The… Great… Se…phi…roth… is… near…'

"…as long as I'm away from you, then I don't _care_."

"But I am _always_ by your side, Cloud…," Sephiroth reminded in an overly patronizing way, his voice frighteningly close to a deep, contented purr, "and knowing this, if I let you go right now, where do you think you're able to go?"

The silver-haired man chuckled as Cloud let out a hiss, a sharp white flash piercing his brain. Cloud couldn't answer at that moment, not with that pain; his knees would have buckled had he been standing, he knew, and he would have fallen into Sephiroth's arms, wouldn't have cared if he did…

"You can't escape me, try as you might. I will never let you."

They were addressing him again, and this time he heard them, clearly. Voices scolding him, telling him that had Cloud stayed quiet and obeyed, if he had just done what he was supposed to do…

"…let me go…," Cloud whimpered, helplessly. He felt tears pricking his eyes, and he tried to will them away; warriors didn't cry, they were always strong. He would not, not even if his head was ready to burst from all the Noise, not even if Sephiroth was so excruciatingly close to him, touching him… and those voices, that _Noise_, gods…

"No; you _belong_ to me, Cloud."

__

'…Sephiroth is our…'

"Stop talking like I'm just some fucking _thing_!!" he shrieked, eyes clamped shut to try and dispel that pain.

"But you are," Sephiroth corrected him, "that's _all_ you are."

"I'm… _not_… just leave me _alone_…," Cloud moaned, a mix of frustration and anguish. "…I _hate_ you… I hate _all_ of you…"

So, Cloud was still insistent in his belief that he had any sort of humanity…? The former General grinned cruelly. "Impossible."

"…get away from me…"

"No."

Sephiroth pulled Cloud tight against his body and pressed a hard kiss against his lips, the younger one's blue eyes going wide in shock. Cloud's brain told him that it wasn't happening… was not _happening_… gods, this was _Sephiroth_…

"Sephiroth!!" Cloud wrenched his head backwards, fists balled, and yelled, "get _away_!"

__

'…become… one… with… Se…phi…roth…'

Ignoring him, Sephiroth again leaned forward, tongue forcing its way into the blonde's mouth, ravenous as it slid along Cloud's own. The younger one let out a groan of protest, even as the Noise pressed him not to, muttering to Cloud in their collectively jealous voices.

He would have pushed Sephiroth away, but the older one's arms were closed around him, pinning his own immobile against his sides; the sitting position Sephiroth had pulled him into nearly rendered his legs useless, no leeway available to use them to put distance between himself and the other man.

Left with no other way to fight, the blonde bit down upon the invading muscle on impulse. As soon as he did, Cloud recognized the flavor of blood as the tongue withdrew… Sephiroth's. … it tasted dead, rotten, and full of Mako, burning like fire and nearly corrosive in its intensity.

Cloud's hand flew to his mouth and clamped over his lips as he resisted the growing need to gag. The taste made him sick to his stomach, and to know the blood of his enemy only made his disgust that much worse. But now the voices were yelling at him for not pleasing the Great Sephiroth, even going so far as spitefully wishing harm upon 'Master'sFavorite' for his impudence…

He pushed the statement from his mind.

The silver-haired man found it amusing how jealous the others were of Cloud, of '_the failure_'. What the poor things didn't realize was that they were the truly useless ones, merely serving as extra Spirit Energy when the time of the Reunion came, and would only be used to ready the Planet for Sephiroth's ascension. Cloud was the only one with the ability to follow through with the preparations…

Sephiroth smirked and slowly licked his lips, staining them, a line of bright crimson seeping from the corner of his mouth. It had been a very long time since he bled last; he wasn't even aware he had the ability to do so in his current body, let alone _here_… that really was something.

"Impressive…"

The blonde's eyes widened as Sephiroth leaned forward, towering over him as the older man grabbed a fistful of his hair, coaxing his head to tilt back far as it could. Sephiroth's face turned stony as he muttered, "…but you won't be exempt from punishment forever, Cloud."

Cloud winced and managed a short grunt of pain when the other man jerked sharply on his hair with one hand, the other pinching his jaw open. Sephiroth bit down hard on his own tongue, successfully reopening the rapidly healing wound. He opened his mouth to allow a few droplets of red fall onto Cloud's lips, and smirked sadistically to himself when the blonde revolted.

"There's no need to struggle… you are a part of me, Cloud, this is your own blood as well. How can your reality disgust you?"

But the blonde was too busy fighting to listen, attention too focused on trying to push Sephiroth away—even though the rebellion was useless.

Sephiroth wasn't disappointed, though, that the puppet didn't hear his words… perhaps it was too soon for Cloud to awaken, anyway, with the way he was so easily influenced by others…

After a moment of thought, Sephiroth determined that yes, it was definitely too soon. He would clarify later, after that 'interference' was dead and gone, around the time of the Reunion, when that girl couldn't deter the Cloud anymore…

So instead of repeating himself, Sephiroth slowly descended despite Cloud's hardest protests. He lapped shortly at the blonde's lips, covering them in red, and took a short pause to savor the current lack of resistance before finally lowering the dripping muscle into Cloud's awaiting mouth.

Seconds later, the blonde swung at him with one fist, pushing Sephiroth away with his other; but no more than an inch short of striking, Sephiroth stopped the blonde's attack. The silver-haired man grabbed Cloud's wrists, quickly backing the younger man up against the thick trunk of a tree. Pinning both arms against the rough bark, Sephiroth leaned his full weight against the blonde and glared, aqua eyes narrowed menacingly.

"Stop fighting," the silver-haired man snarled, "do _not_ fight me any more."

"Fuck you," came the insubordinate response.

Sephiroth brought his mouth to Cloud's again, grip on the mercenary's wrists tight enough to leave a longstanding bruise. Only now, Cloud had nowhere else to go. The entire length of his body pressed hard against the tree, one of Sephiroth's legs wedged between his own to keep him in place. Sephiroth's kiss was forceful, the man's teeth biting at Cloud's lips hard enough to bleed.

He waited, kept on with the sharp nips until the blonde finally yelled in concession, giving Sephiroth the opportunity to taste the inside of that hot mouth once more. He absently hoped that Cloud would bite him again, if only so that his blood would seep into the other man's wounds, just to see how he would react…

But Cloud didn't do it. He was well aware of his own small, open injuries, and could feel them working to repair themselves. There was no way he was going to allow Sephiroth to do such a thing… not with his vile, tainted blood… even though Cloud's lungs were beginning to burn with lack of oxygen, and the older man just wouldn't get away…

Sephiroth's mouth was smothering him just as much as his body was…

Cloud shut his eyes, drawing ragged breaths through his nose. He grimaced as he felt a trail of saliva slip from the corner of his mouth and down underneath his chin… a mixture of both of theirs…

The Noise was still there, but had dulled considerably. There were a few words here and there that Cloud could decipher, but those were jeering as well, mad at him for receiving so much of Sephiroth's precious attention.

…if they wanted it, they could have it. Cloud didn't see why he was regarded so highly in the first place… he didn't want to be… it made no sense…

"Your rage is _false_," the older man said under his breath as he finally pulled away, listening to Cloud's harsh, angered panting, "accept that fact, Cloud…"

"I _hate_ you…," Cloud growled, sucking in deep, shuddering breaths. "Let me go…" His words were a short warning which was promptly ignored.

"No," Sephiroth started, "you _don't_ hate me. Hate is an emotion, a thing which something like you _cannot_ feel, so _why_ do you insist on believing that you _do_?!" He finished off yelling, furious that Cloud was still so inattentive to the meaning, the blonde opting instead to twist fiercely against his body, protesting…

"Let me _go_, Sephiroth!!"

Oh, Cloud was becoming absolutely _infuriating_.

"**_Fine_**."

Sephiroth suddenly released the younger man, pulling him away from the tree before he threw Cloud violently away. He watched with ill humor as Cloud stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet in alarm. It took a moment for Cloud to regain his bearings, quickly looking up at Sephiroth when he did, a lovely smattering of gore on his lips… some red on his chin, at the corner of his mouth…

…though, if it had been Cloud's blood alone, it would've been so much better… but Sephiroth had to contain himself.

"Run away. See for yourself how far you're able to go before I catch you," the silver-haired man challenged. "And I will… I will _always_ win, Cloud, no matter what. Never doubt that."

The blonde stared vapidly at Sephiroth, disbelief apparent in his face, standing immobile as the older man spoke. Obviously, his puppet had not expected such a wish to be granted…

"_Go_!" Sephiroth ordered.

And as if a trance had been broken by a flick of Sephiroth's wrist, Cloud turned and sprinted away. Unbeknownst to him, he was managing only to run deeper into the Sleeping Forest…

It was funny to think Cloud actually believed he could get away from him, and let alone in this place, a dream-world within his own unwilling mind…

Sephiroth grinned maliciously.

Though he was angry that Cloud had actually gone, it did serve to sweeten the deal. It would allow Sephiroth the chance to seek out the man who had, thus far, only sought out himself. And when Sephiroth caught him, he would truly leave his mark on the blonde and prove to Cloud, once and for all, that no matter how hard he tried, he could _never_ get away.

"My pretty puppet with your broken strings," he murmured, weaving a small, loose braid in his hair, "I suggest you enjoy this freedom while it lasts…"

Sephiroth tied off the end of the braid and flipped the rest of his hair over one shoulder. He then proceeded to wind the silver cord twice around his hand, taking a secure hold on it before he pulled down and tore the makeshift rope from his scalp. After taking a moment to appreciate his craftsmanship, Sephiroth carefully knotted the loose end and smiled.

"Because never forget, Cloud; you will always belong to me."

And with that he went on, stalking his prey in the Sleeping Forest.

———————

A/N: ::blink:: Oookay, that was… different… coming from me… O.o; I… er…  
**Cloud (demandingly):** Why are you making Sephiroth so MEAN to me!?  
Because he doesn't like you since you're being freakin' resisty for some reason…  
**Sephiroth:** ::eye twitches:: …I hate this stupid fanfic.  
**Cloud (pouting):** Me too…  
Me too… .;  
::Sephiroth scoops Cloud into his arms and holds him lovingly whilst glaring at me::  
-.- …you know… you weren't a nice dude in the actual game, Seph… -.-;  
**Sephiroth:** I was to **Cloud**… I gave him **presents**.  
::blinks::  
::Sephiroth stares::  
…?  
**Sephiroth (slowly, obviously, and pointedly pronouncing it syllable by syllable):** I. Love. My. Pup. Pet.  
::Cloud sparkles happily::  
**Sephiroth:** You managed to get one thing right, though: I **do** enjoy Cloud's company… why else would I want to get him alone all the time?  
I always thought it was because you were a Cloud-obsessed pervert… ::ignores Sephiroth's reluctant nod:: And being called a 'puppet' isn't a **compliment** yannow, Cloud…  
::Sephiroth glares at me a little before going on to shove his tongue down Happy!Sparkling!Cloud's throat before Cloud even has the slightest chance to answer::  
…bastards, the both of them… but at least Seph's not threatening to kill me for once…

And no matter how much I like him, I badly want to beat CrazyRoth over his pretty little manic head… SHUT THE HELL **UP** YOU ASS!! Gah. I'll take KinkyRoth any day, he's so much easier to work with… uhm, I'm assuming. .;; ::thwaps Seph with her newly-acquired whapping stick and threatens to take Cloud away if he doesn't start behaving for her::

And you know what? Fuck the number of parts, because I really have no clue anymore -.- I don't want to give this story huge-ass chapters like I usually do, but whenever I figure out where I want to end a chapter, a new idea pops up and that makes it very freakin' hard to determine how long the story's actually gonna be. Arg. But there will probably be no more than three more parts to this, I know that much. …I hope. ::smacks forehead::

****

Zack: … ::CAMEO!::  
… O.o;

::drags Zack off and leaves the two lovebirds to their own devices::


End file.
